Scripture
â€â€Ezekiel‬ â€34‬:â€11‬-â€16‬, â€23‬-â€24‬ â€(ESV‬‬)
"For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice….And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.“
AI Prompt
A pastoral scene in the style of Caravaggio, depicting an ancient Near Eastern shepherd letting his flock of sheep graze on green hills, with an emphasis on the shepherd's alertness. The style captures Caravaggio's dramatic lighting and rich, deep colors. The shepherd, dressed in traditional attire, is portrayed with a heightened sense of vigilance and care as he watches over his flock. The landscape features lush, green hills under a clear blue sky, illuminated by intense light, highlighting the pastoral tranquility and the attentive presence of the shepherd in a dramatic and artistic manner.
Process/Reflection
My original concept for this was to create an image depicting a shepherd who was engaged in a dramatic rescue of his sheep from various threats. But as I began prompting AI I was getting some of the weirdest depictions of shepherds and sheep that I've ever seen. A couple of them are posted on the reject pile page. (One was so bad I couldn't even post it there!) So after multiple tries, I abandoned that concept and just went with the image of the Shepherd-Prince who brings his sheep to good grazing land.